


child, i'm afraid for your soul

by growlery



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Ensemble Cast, Future Fic, Gen, Resurrection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-03
Updated: 2013-05-03
Packaged: 2017-12-09 18:24:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/776575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/growlery/pseuds/growlery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s Allison who brings Laura back, though everyone thinks it’s Lydia, at first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	child, i'm afraid for your soul

**Author's Note:**

  * For [millepertuis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/millepertuis/gifts).



> Set post series two but ignores everything we’ve heard about series three, pretty much. Title is from Eat You Alive by The Oh Hellos.

It’s Allison who brings Laura back, though everyone thinks it’s Lydia, at first.

(Even Lydia thinks it was her, for a while, and dread washes over her cold and awful.)

“Why didn’t you tell me,” Lydia demands, eyes blazing, when she finds out, from Jackson who found out from Scott who found out from Stiles, who managed to figure it out. She’s got Allison backed up against her locker, and even though Lydia knows Allison could get away without even hurting Lydia, she hasn’t moved. “Why didn’t you tell me, Allison.”

“Haven’t really had much opportunity to talk to you, recently,” Allison says, but she can’t quite keep her voice even.

Lydia huffs a breath, forces herself to meet Allison’s eyes. “I’m still mad as hell at you for not telling me what was happening, y’know,” she says, and Allison says, immediately, “I know, Lydia, I’m so sorry, I-”

Lydia holds up a hand, making a face. “Please,” she says, “don’t. I’ve had the whole we were just trying to protect you spiel from Jackson and Scott and Stiles and I get it, okay? I do.” She inhales deeply, then blows the breath back out again between her teeth. She tosses her hair, very deliberately. “So tell me about resurrecting Derek Hale’s sister, like, ew, why would you do that.”

Allison grins at her, wide and so hopeful, and Lydia’s remaining vestiges of anger melt away. She holds out her arm to Allison, and Allison takes it, links theirs together, and it isn’t nearly as much effort as Lydia thought it would be to walk down the hall together.

>>

Lydia wasn’t there to see it since it happened at one of the pack meetings she didn't bother going to, but she got bits and pieces from Jackson afterwards.

(They’re broken up for good, now, Lydia’s pretty painfully sure of that, but she’s also pretty sure it’s for the best. They were always better friends than lovers.)

Derek cried, apparently. Derek cried a lot. After he got over the initial shock of seeing his long-dead sister waltz into the room, cock her hip and say, “Hey, Derek,” that is.

“She is hot, seriously,” Jackson tells her, and Lydia rolls her eyes at him. “Think Derek but with less grouch and more boobs.”

“That sounds terrifying,” Danny says dryly as he slides into the seat next to Lydia, opposite Jackson. Lydia and Jackson both freeze, exchanging identical deer-in-headlights looks. Danny sighs. “Guys,” he says, “guys. You do realise I know about the werewolf thing, right? Have done for sort of forever?”

“How?” Jackson demands, and then, “Ow!” because Lydia just kicked him under the table.

Danny gives him the look that says I love you very, very much, but you’re kind of really dense sometimes. “You talk about it all the time,” he says patiently. “Pretty loudly, in fact, right in the middle of school. It’s sort of hard not to notice.”

“I never figured it out,” Lydia says, defensive, doesn’t add and I’m smarter than you because she knows Danny’ll hear it anyway.

“I know,” Danny says, and starts to eat his lunch. “So Derek’s sister is back from the dead, then?”

>>

They’re all invited to the next pack meeting, even Allison and Danny.

(Derek insists it’s safest for Danny if he joins the pack – Lydia has her doubts about this, because Derek isn’t an asshole, not really, but he’s a really genuinely terrible leader; Scott could do better than he does – and Allison... well. Lydia suspects Allison’s return to the fold has much more to do with the return of his sister than Derek’s resentment-slash-deep-seated-hatred of her finally fading.)

The first thing Lydia notices is that Jackson was right; Laura really is hot. It’s more complicated than Derek’s whole dark and brooding thing plus breasts, but. Yeah. Lydia can see it.

The second thing she notices is that Laura’s the only one standing. All the other betas are sitting, and so is Derek. Lydia frowns. She takes the seat next to Danny and Jackson, squeezing over to make room for Allison. They’re the last to arrive, and once they’re seated, Laura clears her throat.

The room goes silent almost instantly, which has never, ever happened before.

“First order of business,” Laura announces pleasantly. “We are going to destroy Peter Hale.”

Scott frowns. “Derek sent him away,” he says, glancing at Lydia. “He can’t hurt anyone any more.”

Laura smiles, and Lydia doesn’t know her at all but she doesn’t have to to recognise the bitter edge. “It’s cute that you believe that,” Laura says, “really. But Peter is a megalomaniac and a psychopath. He already killed me once, would’ve killed Derek if Peter hadn’t killed him first, and he emotionally tormented your friend Lydia.”

Lydia jolts at the mention of her name, and Laura looks over at her, gives her a quirk of the lips which isn’t anything like a smile. It’s a sign of solidarity, an I know what you went through last summer, and Lydia returns it without even thinking about it.

“In short,” Laura says, turning back to the others, “Peter Hale is a filthy scumbag who needs to pay.” Scott looks away, biting his lip, and Laura softens. “I’m not forcing anyone to do anything they don’t want to do,” she says. “That’s shitty, and I don’t do that. But I’m going to kill Peter Hale, painfully, and anyone who wants to help is more than welcome to join me.”

Lydia steps forward, her smile as sharp as the heels she’s wearing. “I’m in.”

Allison joins her almost immediately. “Me too,” she says, and Lydia reaches for her hand, squeezing tight.

“Allison, right?” Laura says, and Allison’s smile is plastic when she says, “Argent, if that matters at all.”

“Oh, it matters a lot,” Laura says, giving her an assessing once-over. Lydia feels Allison tense beside her, and squeezes her hand harder. “I hear you’re lethal with a bow and arrow.”

“She’s amazing,” Scott pipes up, shooting a shy smile in Allison’s direction.

(Lydia has no illusions of their break-up lasting long, unlike her and Jackson. She’d be bitter about it if she didn’t love Allison so much, if she didn’t know how disgustingly happy Scott makes her.)

“I’m glad you’re on our side,” Laura says, and Erica scoffs, says, “I wouldn’t bet on that.”

Allison flinches, but her voice is even when she says, “That’s fair,” and Lydia is so proud of her she could kiss her. She shoots a glare in Erica’s direction. “I am so, so sorry about what I did to you guys.”

“Sorry isn’t going to cut it,” Erica snaps, “you tortured us.”

Allison wilts. “I know,” she says, “and I’m- I’m really-”

“Erica,” Laura cuts in, her voice soft, soothing. “I know you’re angry, and you have a right to be. But so did Allison. I’m not saying what she did to you was justified,” she says, rising over Erica’s protest, “far from it, but I think you should take her apology for the genuine show of remorse that it is.”

“You weren’t there,” Boyd says quietly. “You don’t know what she did to us.”

“I can guess,” Laura says. Her voice is even, but there’s something about her eyes, something sort of empty. “Come on. Erica, Boyd, Allison – we need to talk.” Lydia opens her mouth to protest but before she can, Laura turns to her, gives her a smile. “She’ll be fine. We’ll be back before you know it.”

Lydia closes her mouth, appeased, and a little affronted about it. Laura’s smile widens, just for a moment, and then she turns on her heel, motioning for the others to follow her. Allison ducks her head, lets her hand slip out of Lydia’s grasp, and does.

>>

Sure enough, Allison returns twenty minutes later, followed closely by Laura, who’s flanked by her betas (and there is no doubt in Lydia’s mind that they are hers, now). She looks- well, she looks fine, physically unharmed and not avoiding people’s eyes any more than usual. She’s even sort of smiling, relief plain on her face.

Lydia’s short of shocked, honestly, though she’s realising that she really, really shouldn’t be.

“What happened?” she whispers to Allison when she’s sat down again, but Allison only shakes her head, smiles a little more. Lydia glances over at Laura, only to find Laura’s already studying her intently. Lydia looks away, disconcerted.

She doesn’t really pay attention to the rest of the meeting, and slips out unnoticed while Jackson and Derek are arguing about the proper protection Danny needs. She can't leave, though, since she gave Allison a ride over and she can't just leave her, so she leans against the wall of the old Hale House and remembers stories people used to tell about it, about it being haunted by all the people who died in the fire.

"What are you doing out here?" comes Laura's voice from behind her, and lydia whirls around, startled.

"I was just getting some fresh air," she lies. "It's so musty inside."

Laura gives her a knowing look, says, "I've heard that one before. Out of my own mouth, usually." She huffs a laugh, sounding rueful. "I know meetings are boring as shit, usually, but they're kind of important."

"Sure," Lydia says. She knows that, she just wishes they weren't something she had to endure, wishes this wasn't her life. Shockingly, werewolves hadn't really factored into her ten year trajectory.

"You gonna come back in?" Laura asks.

"I'd rather not, thanks," Lydia says, winking her nose, and Laura nods.

"Fair enough. Derek told me what happened, by the way," Laura says. Her face twists in sympathy and Lydia just shrugs like it doesn't matter, like she doesn't care. "I'm surprised you're even part of the pack."

Lydia flinches, unable to hide her hurt - and this is why she hates pack meetings, the way it makes her feel vulnerable in a way she has always loathed.

"Fuck you," she manages, proud of the way her voice doesn't shake even a little bit.

"No, hey, that's not what I meant," Laura says quickly. "I just meant, after everything you've been through, after everything the pack has put you through, you still stand with them. That's- that's amazing, Lydia, I can't even tell you how much I admire your strength."

Lydia doesn't say anything. She doesn't trust herself to speak. She only shrugs, forcing herself to be aloof and uncaring.

"You're a great asset to us," Laura continues, undeterred. "You're incredibly smart-"

"Did Derek tell you that too?" Lydia bites out.

"It's obvious if you pay attention," Laura says patiently. "It's also obvious most people don't."

Lydia doesn't know what to say to that, either. "You know," she says instead, her voice the perfect mixture of biting and bored, "I think I prefer Derek as alpha. He may be basically useless but at least he's never tried to give anyone a motivational speech."

"So you're coming back in?" Laura says, and Lydia sighs, tosses her hair back and says, "Of course I am."


End file.
